Percy Jackson and the Apocalypse
by ASitshouldbe
Summary: What if the half bloods had failed their quest to defeat Kronos? What would happen to Camp Half Blood? What would have happened to the Olympians? What exactly would have happened to the world as we know it? Probably something close to an apocalypse involving all your favorite monsters is what. Three way collab.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was quiet. The wind blew through the trees and brushed gently against the leaves on the ground. Dryads and other tree spirits were intently watching; waiting for the challenge to begin.

"No Kat! Where the hell are you going?!" An annoyed whisper carried on the breeze, following the small girl as she snuck quickly and obliviously through the tall grass and up to a tree. She began to climb, a thin red flag clutched in one hand. Behind her, the bushes rustled as a group of boys followed her into the open. They carried various weapons and shields and were staring with exasperated smiles at their stubborn cabinmate.

"Kat, how many times do we have to tell you that the flag needs to be placed in the open?! We tell you this every time we play Capture the Flag!" Travis Stoll, the older of the twins, reached up and easily plucked her off of the bottom of the tree. He took the flag from her hands and gave it to Michael, who disappeared with Will to place the flag in their usual spot.

It was one day before the end of summer and the majority of the campers would be returning to school the week after. The last Capture the Flag game was the most competitive, as well as the most fun since one had their last chance to strategize and fight with the camp. This time, it was the Hermes, Hephaestus, and Apollo cabins fighting everyone else.

At the end of the year there was no one as enthusiastic about the game as Kaitlyn. As the smallest person her age in the camp and the tiniest in her cabin, it was a challenge to prove herself, plus, as she was one of the few to leave early, it was her last shot with her friends.

Every game usually began with the attempt to change the rules. To her, it was foolish. Why leave the flag in the open? Half the fun was simply searching for the banner, and assuming the flag was kept the same color and shape, hiding it was one of the best protections! Unfortunately for her, it was always denied, usually ending with her hanging, as she was then, playfully made fun of for her stature and light weight.

Upon being placed on the floor, Kat turned to face the rest of the group. Most of the Apollo kids were assigned to protect the flag and would generally snipe from the trees or arrange surprise attacks with Hermes kids. With Hephaestus on their side for the first time, they had decided to go full-frontal and strategize offensively using the secretive and strong weapons to full advantage.

"Are you sure this is even going to work?" She hissed into Travis's ear. She had suggested taking the smallest for a quick scouting mission; hopefully for an opportunity to quickly sneak in and steal the flag. The majority of their team however were all large brutes and had shot that plan down. Grudgingly she was forced to accompany and perform a diversion as another group charged the enemy flag. It's blue hue was easily visible from across the river, which she had spotted after scaling a tall tree and doing reconnaissance.

"Just do it!" Was the typical reply, usually followed by a smile. She saluted him and gestured to the five people following her to break off from their pack. This was the dangerous part. On the off chance a monster would show up, and one usually did at this point, their small numbers might make it hard to take the beast out.

Kat led her group to the other side of the flag's location, opposite to where the rest of the team was. After a few hand gestures exchanged between them their group split up further. The first three let out loud cries and charged directly towards enemy lines. The noise would probably attract monsters, but was the signal for the other group to begin.

She waited a few seconds, hands impatiently letting go of her weapon to fix her bun that had long brown strands spilling out distractingly. A loud whistle startled her, causing Kat to be the last to follow her group into the action where a rather large brawl had begun. Demigods were strewn across the clearing fighting head on, swords swinging in deadly arcs, the clang of metal making more noise than the yells from before. It only took her a moment to find a free opponent. With a small battle cry, she jumped into the fray, dodged the people around her, and headed straight for who she could now make out as a child of Demeter.

Her knife met Katie's short sword with a loud clang, causing Kat to stumble from the force. Kat pulled back, trying to prevent her ADHD from making her instinctively charge and attack the other girl. She needed to be smart and avoid getting injured. As Katie leaned forward to attack, Kat ducked backward from the swipe and quickly moved sideways, swiping low and fast at her exposed legs. Katie moved in return, their exchange turning into a deadly dance of blades and skills.

"Why can't you just stay still?" panted the child of Demeter as Kat's continual evasion turned frustrating. Kat's childish reply of a stuck out tongue was returned with a muttered curse and quick flip of the bird.

"Crap!" Kat heard someone behind her fall with a moan of pain and a few panicked screams filled the area. Both girls paused to see the new arrival of three large hellhounds. One had attacked a few campers who had been too slow to move out of the way while the other two were slowly circling the group, snarling and baring their fangs.

"Crap." Kat repeated, moving a kid standing next to her as one of the hounds leaped forward. She darted to the side and slashed wildly, nicking the creature on its face and bringing its' attention to her. She darted away again, moving backwards away from it as fast as she could. It lumbered after her, pawsteps heavy but sure as it followed without care of what it stepped on.

"Hey! Yeah, you, you ugly mutt, get over here!" Both Kat and the hellhound whipped their heads to the side to see Percy and a group of other campers. With a yell they charged into the fray, brandishing their weapons and making as much commotion as they could to distract the beasts. Kat's hellhound leaped towards Percy, large jaws snapping very close to his face. Kat cursed under her breath, readjusting her grip on her knife and sneaking forward.

As Percy began to become overwhelmed, she whistled loudly. It snarled and turned again towards her. It really was kind of alarming how stupid some monsters were, she mused as she was forced to retreat. Kat figured that the two of them would have to keep distracting the creature until Percy could actually stab it. It goes to say that one should never count their chickens before they hatch.

While attempting to maneuver with some fancy footwork, her legs got tangled up and she tripped over an extremely inconveniently placed rock. "Freaking cliches!" Kat spat out, performing a roll that seemed more of a flail. It's just my luck. Exactly when people need me, I fall. Brilliant. It dropped painfully down on top of her. Its large body easily covered hers and its furry mass obscured her vision. I screwed up, she realized a moment before the hellhound finally hit its target.

Well, sort of. Kat's vision blurred as she moved her head from where it was about to be crushed in a monster's jaws. It's teeth grazed her forehead, her head throbbing from hitting the ground so hard. Her body collapsed awkwardly. An annoying throb was originating from her wrist. Kat heard a shout from above her, and then she had the oddest feeling of being covered in dust before it disappeared. She was left with and uncomfortable ache in too many places at once.

"You ok?" She tried to nod, seeing only a blob of mixed browns in front of her face. Shaking her head cleared her vision for a second, and she made out Percy's vibrant blue eyes.

"You've got really nice eyes. Have I ever told you that?" Kat murmured as everything started swimming in her head. The annoying shouts and jostling of her body sure wasn't helping. "Blue is my favorite color." She whispered before closing her eyes and allowing the darkness to take over.

"Is she waking up? I need to tell her the good news!"

"Don't tell her yet, she'll get excited and rip her stitches."

"She won't need stitches after she has some ambrosia!" Someone really needed to tone down the enthusiasm. Kat groaned, feeling detached from her body. She opened her eyes to be greeted with a group of people, each wearing various expressions of concern or happiness.

"You're ALIVE!" Travis yelled, a large grin stretched upon his face. Kat snorted delicately.

"Was it that bad? I can't remember anything clearly after the hound fell on me." Travis laughed at her, patting her shoulder with enough force to have her wincing in pain.

"Do you want the good news first or the bad news?" Percy spoke up from his side of the bed. Kat shrugged.

"Well the good news is that your side won Capture the Flag, but the bad news is that the hellhound broke your wrist and its going to need a cast for the next few weeks or so." Kat, who had cheered at their victory, choked on the water she was drinking.

"What?" Kat shot up from her bed before whimpering and leaning back down. "Are you sure it can't be fixed?" She massaged her bruised leg while staring down Annabeth and the Apollo kid that had most likely healed her. She received a helpless shake of the head.

Kat could feel her breath quickening. She would become injured the day before her mother came to pick her up. She would absolutely freak out, not to mention never allow her into camp again.

"Are you sure?" She begged one last time, desperately clinging to one little sliver of hope. At the shakes and helpless shrugs from her friends, her hopes shattered.

"Great," She groaned.

"I hope you have a good school year!" Annabeth hugged Kat, mindful of her arm, which was wrapped in a cast. "Make sure that if you need anything you Iris-message us. I hid drachmas in your bag, and I slipped a knife between your clothes. Hopefully your mom won't find this one."

Kat hummed in agreement, remembering the last time her mother had seen her weapons. Even though they were celestial bronze and couldn't actually hurt anyone in the family, her mother had still forced her to throw it in the river. She hoped the river god there wasn't angry.

"Thanks Annabeth. Where's Percy? I have to reassure him that I'm coming back." She gave Annabeth a serious look. "No matter what my mom says, I'll always come back." The child of Athena nodded and gestured to the Poseidon cabin.

"I think he's in there. Bye." They shared one last hug before Kat lifted her duffel with her good hand and strolled towards the cabin. It was rather pretty, she mused as she stood in the doorway, gently knocking.

"Percy?" she gasped as he slammed her into the ground, wrapping her arms around her for a bear hug. "Percy I love you and all, but that wasn't the best idea." She winced as her fall jostled her wrist.

"You know, I knew that Percy was falling for someone but I never thought you'd sink to his level." Kat looked up to see Clarisse grinning down at them. Kat blushed at the implications of their position, and after shoving Percy off of her, accepted Clarisse's hand.

"I will miss you, contrary to popular belief." Clarisse said, pulling her into a quick hug. Percy meanwhile pulled himself from the floor, muttering impatiently under his breath. "Make sure you don't let HER boss you around. You'll be old enough to to what you want soon. Make sure you come back here." With one last grin, she walked away, forcefully nudging Percy with her shoulder and making him stumble. Percy hissed at her before turning to Kat.

"Are you sure you can't just ditch her? My mom has me come home, but she's not insane like yours. Why would anyone believe that being a demigod is a bad thing? Seriously, she did have relations with the trickster god, after all. What did she think would come out of it?" They began walking together towards the entrance of the camp.

"I'll be ok. You know I always get out in the end. It's not my fault she's an overbearing control freak with an extremely fucked up view of life. I saved her life multiple times, and she yelled at me for fighting! Then she turned around and told me that it was my responsibility to protect the family from the "plague that my abnormality brings". Why does she have to think that?"

Kat stopped walking, pulling Percy towards her and showing her sorrow with her eyes. "Why does she have to hate me?" Percy lifted her chin, looking unusually serious.

"No matter what happens, remember that she can't control you." Percy paused, biting his lip in thought. "Also remember that if she ever hurts you, your father will help you. Hermes would never let you suffer, not like that." Kat nodded, pressing the heel of her hand into her eye, trying to block the tears. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she cursed herself for her moment of weakness and stabilized herself.

"Thanks." She pulled him in for another hug. "I'm going to miss you guys so much." She murmured. Percy began leading her to the gate, where they could see the red convertible already parked. Kat couldn't see her mother, but knew she was sitting inside. It took all her energy to not pull back and hide.

As they breached the entrance, she turned for one last look at the camp, biting her lip as nostalgia washed over her. Another ten months of misery away from her friends. As she waved at the Hermes cabin, she could have sworn that she saw something in the shadows on the side. But when she blinked, there was no one there.

"Get in the car already! Your sister has a recital in thirty minutes, and I don't want to be late." Kat grimaced as her mother's shrill voice broke the silence. With a heavy heart, she picked up her stuff and walked to the car.

"What do you mean we have to leave? Nevada of all places? Why?!" Kat stared at her mother in disbelief. There was no way she was leaving New York. How would she be able to get to camp half-blood easily if she was halfway across the country?

"Kat, your father has gotten an excellent job opportunity in Nevada. When we move there, we'll have a bigger house with a huge backyard and a new start." Kat hissed at her.

"I don't care about that stuff! Our house is fine now! Why should we go anywhere?" Behind her, her sister Julia face-palmed. By then the rest of the family was well aware of the mysterious conflict that plagued Kat and her mother, but they had never been told exactly what it was. Kat's step father, Tom, stood up while running a hand down his face.

Julia and Tom moved as one. Julia grabbed Kat's hand and moved her into the kitchen. Tom pushed his wife down into a chair. Kat caught one last glimpse of her angry frown before the door closed behind them and they were settling into a chair.

"Kat you have to calm down." Kat closed her eyes and breathed heavily. Come on, count to 10… 1, 2, 3,... this isn't working! Kat stared helplessly at her 13 year old sister. Though Julia was younger than her, Kat found that out of all her siblings Julia was the one that understood her most. That might have to do with the three year age gap.

"Listen to me. Mom is doing what she believes to be best for our family." Kat snorted. Yeah, the rest of the family. Her mother was doing what is best for her ideal, picturesque group of people that were, in her opinion, normal. Her mother (why did she even bother to refer to her with such respect anymore?) cared only for Julia, Samantha, Rebecca and Derek, her obedient little kids. She only cared about them and Tom.

Not that she had anything against Tom. For a stepfather, he was both understanding and very nice. Kat just couldn't understand why you would hate someone like Hermes. Who would replace a God? Granted they couldn't be together, but why was there so much disgust towards any thought of the God, or demigods, or just her in general?

"Are you even listening? I don't rant for my own health." Julia broke into Kat's mental monologue. "This is something that you need to calm down about." Kat's mouth dropped open as she snorted indignantly.

"Julia your mother doesn't like me. She is not thinking in any way about me; just you and her beautiful family. Just you and your father and your siblings. She hates me." Julia threw her hands up into the air before angrily slamming them into the table.

"You know, you're so convinced that mom hates you so much but you won't actually tell me why. Maybe I could help you!" Julia shook her head in disbelief. "We've lived for so long with your conflict. The two of you disregard the rest of us in your petty squabbles. Have you even stopped to ask how we feel?"

Any ire that Kat had felt instantly melted away. Looking back, she realized that it was true. Granted, the vendetta was between her and her mom for a good reason, especially since the rest of them were stuck with her mother year round. It'd be bad for family relations if they got into the fight. But now that she thought, the fight was splitting their family anyway, everyone against her mother.

"Oh Gods." Kat whispered, horrified. She was such an idiot! But apparently Julia wasn't finished with her.

"While we're on the subject of your quirks, why do you always say Gods? Mom told us that you were atheist. Though I guess I don't know as much about you as I thought." Julia grabbed Kat's hand and brought her attention to her face, looking at her earnestly. "We want to help you, Kat. But how can we fight for you if we don't know what it's for?"

Kat blinked at her.

"Did you rehearse that? That sounded oddly rehearsed. Like the stuff that Tom- that Dad would have said." Julia made a face but was pleased at Kat's use of Dad. As he wasn't her actual father, their relationship had always had an awkward undercurrent.

"Shut up, Kat! We were all curious! Can you blame us?" Kat ruefully shook her head. No, she really couldn't blame them.

That was the worst part. Had she really become so narrow minded in her fight for her bloodright that she hadn't thought of the rest of her family? She generally prided herself for her open-minded nature!

With that horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, she got up from her chair and stood in the center of the room, facing away from Julia and towards a small coffee table that held a single scented candle. She stared into its fiery depths, conflicted. Should she say anything?

Unbidden, a distant memory rose to the surface of her mind. Her mother had dragged her out of her bed one day at midnight to thrust her in front of a monster with the command to get rid of it. When Kat had acquiesced, her mother had taken her weapon once she finished and threw it in the ocean. The next time a monster had come Kat had nearly died while trying to protect her siblings. Everyone had been so confused, but Kat had been furious.

"There's something really important that I have to tell you." Kat said, turning to face her sister seriously. "Just promise me you'll keep an open mind." It was time for them to know.

" So let me get this straight. You're the child of a God?"

"Yup."

"The Greek Gods exist? They're in our world with all the Greek monsters and legends, all hidden from us mortals?"

"Yup."

"You go to a summer camp to train how to defeat said monsters. Mom hates anything to do with it for some unknown reason. That's your vendetta?"

"Are you going to repeat everything that I told you?"

Julia's eyebrows furrowed. "Well actually I really just want some sort of proof. It does seem kind of fantastical." Kat nodded. That was fair. Plus she knew just how to kill two birds with one stone.

Kat dragged Julia outside their house and to the nearest hose. She dragged it into the sunlight and held the head, forming a beautiful rainbow. There, she used her first drachma.

"Iris, I pray to you. Show me Annabeth at Camp Half-Blood." Julia gasped as the coin disappeared and the rainbow shimmered until Annabeth's face could be seen. She was sitting at the dinner table with the rest of her cabin and Percy.

"Kat! You usually don't message this quickly. Is something wrong? Oh, who is that?" Kat jumped quickly into an explanation of her situation. As it went on, Chiron was called, and the matter discussed with him.

"This is very serious. Not only will you miss a lot of training if she doesn't let you come back, you are going into enemy territory. I assume you know what I speak of." I nodded. Unlike most campers, I had heard of the Romans and their location in the west of the United States. I was moving right into their land, and they would probably be able to sense me very quickly.

"Never mind that for now, Chiron. I'll try to be nice and open, and hopefully they won't bother me. If my mom finds my stuff what they hell am I going to do? Also, I only have a few drachmas." Chiron smiled at me.

"Not to worry. You're moving to Nevada, yes? I have made friends with the pack of centaurs that live there. Simply travel towards Las Vegas. They travel in a pack near the border between Arizona and Nevada and typically stop near Hoover Dam. You'll be able to find them easily. Just mention my name and they'll give you what you need." Kat sighed with relief.

"Kat! Julia! Where are you?" Tom called from inside the house. Kat cursed, whispering hasty goodbyes and moving Julia out of sight. Her younger sister looked slightly stunned, and kept blinking.

"We're here. Lets go talk." Kat said. She pulled her sister inside, ready to reveal everything to her stepfather, then her step siblings.

"So can you fly?" Derek asked cheerfully. Their drive to Nevada had been long and tiring, and he spent the entire ride asking ridiculous questions about her origins. Her reveal seemed to have simply rubbed off him. He accepted it without any hassle.

The same could be said about the rest of her siblings. It was Tom that Kat was most worried about. He hadn't said anything on their trip about it, and had been silent for most of the way. Her mother on the other hand had broadcasted her feelings loudly, fuming and complaining that they would have to forever go into hiding and that hopefully, with time away from her camp, she would be turned normal again.

"No Derek, just because I am a daughter of Hermes does not mean that I can fly. That would be awesome though." Kat found it interesting that her siblings knew a lot about Greek Mythology. She figured that it might have been her influence.

"Can you shut up? We're here, and need to unpack." Her mother snapped from the front seat. They all piled out of the car, and Kat got her first view of her new house. She had to admit, it was rather pretty, especially when compared to the old one. It was larger too.

"So can you use swords and bows and arrows and cool stuff like that? Can you show me?"

"No! I will not stand for such abnormality in my house!" Kat blinked in shock as her mother finally snapped. "I don't want you poisoning the minds of my children." Kat flinched back as her mother leaned closer. She searched desperately for any sign, any trace of a reason for her anger.

What she found instead was fear.

Kat's head was still spinning hours later while she rested on her bed. Was it fear of her? Her power? Her father's power? The God's power? Monsters? The possibilities were endless. Most importantly, they humanized her, gave her a purpose for disliking her that Kat couldn't handle. How could she remain angry in the face of such a reveal? The whole thing was surprisingly (frustratingly) humane.

Kat knew that she would also be scared from the potential knowledge of everything that is out there. She would be frightened to be potentially powerless against so many things. But that was the frustrating part. Instead of hiding in fear, she could have learned how to use a weapon. Self defense wasn't just a demigod thing- plenty of "normal" human beings could use a sword better than her! Why didn't her mother understand?

Kat startled from her angry thoughts when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." She spoke up softly. Who was it at this time of night? Her surprise grew when Tom peeked around the door and came in. "Hi." She whispered quietly. Her nervousness grew as he moved closer to her, but she really jumped when he sat on her bed.

She sat ramrod straight, not even breathing as he pulled her close for a hug. She was frozen, completely unmoving for a long time. As the hug persisted her body finally relaxed. She lifted her arms and wrapped them tightly around him, revelling in the hug.

"I want you to know that I accept you for who you are." He whispered in her ear. "No matter what she says, I don't see you as a freak. You are perfect. Even if you aren't my daughter." Kat's eyes welled with tears. She could feel an odd shaking, and realized it was her silently crying.

"I don't know why she doesn't like me." Kat bit out in between pants. "She never has, and I don't understand it, what did I do wrong?" She was quietly hiccupping now, overcome with an odd mixture of relief and sorrow.

"I will try to talk to her. Maybe she will tell me something." Tom told her, patting her back. They hadn't ever hugged for so long before that day, and she was overwhelmed. It felt so good. She hadn't felt a hug like that from a parent or a friend, ever. "Come now, calm down. Tell me a bit more about your world." Kat pulled back, sniffling. She wiped her eyes with the corner of her blanket and sent Tom a watery smile.

"Where do I begin?"

"I don't know why you continue to treat her this way!"

"I've told you a thousand times she isn't right! She's not normal."

"But why? Because she has special genetics? She acts just like the rest of our children, and she's a hell of a lot better than others that I've seen." Kat peered around the doorway carefully, watching her mother and father argue. Over her. Tom was doing what he said; confronting her over her hate. She wasn't supposed to be listening, but Kat wanted to know why- and she wanted to see why Hermes had ever liked her in the first place.

"She is evil! She can kill any one of us at any moment, and not to mention she's friends with people and creatures that can do just as much damage. She's unnatural." Tom observed her silently.

"You fear her." They stared at each other silently. Kat could only see Tom's face from her angle, but something on her mother's face must have changed because his face softened.

"I don't know how to deal with her or her kind. Or her father." She whispered the last part, wringing her hands nervously. Tom pulled her close and gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you scared of her? She loves you. She wants the affection that you deny her so diligently."

"I'm scared of what she represents. She reminds me of Hermes so much; my love for him, and my interest in her world. I can't have that, I need to separate myself from him. If it means taking her from my life, then so be it."

Kat moved away from the doorway, downcast. Her mother was willing to deny her love so she could get over Hermes?

"You can't get over him some other way?" Tom questioned.

"He's a God! From the first moment I saw him, he stole my heart. He is so amazing and gorgeous, and yet I can't have him because Zeus banned the Gods from seeing their mortal lovers and demigod children. Then I met you. You are so special, kind, everything I've ever wanted. But he still holds a place in my heart, and it scares me. I can't let go, like some sort of obsession, and that frightens me."

Kat stumbled backwards, heart heavy.

Kat trudged down the sidewalk, looking at nothing. She didn't know how to handle her new intel. Her mother… was a very complicated person. She continued walking aimlessly, trying to sift through her thoughts. As she walked, she stumbled off of the sidewalk to cross the street.

"Hey watch it moron!" Kat startled backwards, narrowly avoiding a large black limo. She gazed up in annoyance. He was the one speeding! She finally cleared her head and took in her surroundings, frowning. Where the hell was she?

"Come and explore the Lotus Casino!" Kat turned around, bristling. How were people sneaking up on her? Was she that distracted?

"What's the Lotus Casino?" Kat questioned. The woman, clad in a pretty sparkling green dress, gestured to their left. Kat looked up to take in the large modern building labeled The Lotus Casino.

"It's a place where anyone can hang out and have fun for a while. Have a drink, play some games, relax for a bit."

"I don't think I can afford that." Kat dismissed the lady, turning around to leave. She hissed as she grabbed her arm and held her back.

"It's a free tryout today. Please, I insist, stay a while." Kat looked at the lady nervously. Why the hell did this woman want her in the building so badly? Well, Kat figured, staring at the building, what harm could it do to stay a little while?

"Wonderful! Come on in." Kat didn't see her smile become predatory as she led Kat into the building. The demigod looked around in awe, noticing the lavish furniture and opulent decorations. The lady handed her a green card.

"Take this pass. It'll allow you access to any room and give you tickets for any game." Before Kat could say anything, the lady shoved her through the double doors, and slammed them closed behind her. Kat was too stupefied to care.

"Oh my god!" Kat squealed, taking in the organized chaos. Was that a trampoline in the corner? Pools, a jacuzzi, lounge couches, is that a tennis court out back? There's multiple floors of this! Kat could feel her mood lifting already. If this was really free, she was going to take full advantage of it.

Before she could go anywhere, a serving lady approached her with a tray of lotus flower candies.

"Try one. It's on the house!" Kat picked one up, looking at it suspiciously, but noticed how all the nearby people rushed towards it and enthusiastically took the rest of them. "It's not poisoned, you can eat it." The serving lady said. Kat nervously chuckled at her before taking a small bite. As she swallowed the surprisingly delicious treat, she could feel her worries melting away.

Kat gazed at the trampoline, which had younger kids struggling half-heartedly to jump together and perform tricks. She could feel a bright smile coming over her face, as she felt a fond happiness that she hadn't had in a long while.

"Hey guys, let me show you how it's done!"


	2. Chapter 2

**So! I'm glad so many people have looked at our fic! A big thanks to all of the people who looked at our story. So this fic is set pretty much before the fifth Percy Jackson and the Olympians novel, set in a time where Kronos managed to take over and monsters are ravaging all the land. The three main characters are written in seperate POV's by three authors, who are sharing this account to write this fic. Check out our profile if you want to know more.**

**Anyway, I babbled. Please enjoy the next section of our story!**

**~Asitshouldbe (Aka Blazestorm/Kat)**

John

The Lotus Casino. A place of complete paradise for all. While the primary entertainment was electronics and thrills, there was a small place in paradise for those with even the simplest needs.

Nearby the basketball courts was an overlooking room with soundproof glass and plain wooden floors. The room was empty for the most part, save the giant lumbering shelves of books and corners occupied with overstuffed chairs. Yet even the paper commodities went ignored by the room's sole occupant.

Sitting by the window was a boy hunched over a table in deep concentration. No one wondered what he was doing (Why would they? They were far too busy playing with whatever else the casino offered) and that was fine by him. John gave a content sigh as he stacked the last card in his game of Pyramid. Glancing out the window for a moment, he began to reshuffle the old, yellowed deck.

_Crash._

The boy fell backwards from shock, saving himself from the rubber and glass missiles. The rubber ball bounced off a shelf before rolling next to his comfy chair. Sound blared into John's ears now that the soundproof window was shattered in pieces. Tinny, electronic noises and animalistic shouts from the court flooded his once silent sanctuary.

Feeling anger bubbling inside, John noticed the orange ball resting innocently by his foot. He picked it up, studying the black ribbed sphere.

"I'm sorry!" A boy yelled, walking into the room.

The black haired boy narrowed his eyes. It was one of the hooligans from the sports court. Of course he recognized the boy. It was hard _not_ to notice that shock of green hair. Perhaps he had a disease.

"Is this yours?" John asked.

"Yeah it is. Thanks for keeping it safe," He said easily.

So. He was one of _those_ types. Those easy going, everyone-is-my-friend people. John knew too many of those types of people to enjoy their company. All in all, they annoyed him thoroughly and invaded his personal space. In fact, this guy might want to be _friends_. Of all things!

"Safe…" John echoed thoughtfully, an idea forming in his brain. He leaned over the table to the broken window. Bits of glass were still stuck in the pane.

_Pop!_

A deflated basketball now occupied the empty window cavity.

"Safe," John repeated, resisting the urge to smirk at his genius.

The other boys' cheerful demeanor peeled from his face. His eyes narrowed, the faintest traces of a smile could be seen.

John started to wonder if he had misjudged the green haired boy.

The boy walked from the room, leaving John to breathe a sigh of relief. _At least he didn't try to pick a fight_, John thought. _That guy looks strong. Or stronger than me at least. _

John started to spread out his deck once more for perhaps his millionth game of Pyramid. He placed the final card with a bored sign.

~~~~~~~~~\o/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/\~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A good day or so had passed ever since John had encountered the green haired weirdo. It could have been more or less but that didn't really matter to John at the particular moment in time.

He was lurking in a balcony above the wooden rectangle that youths bounced orange balls on. John wasn't what exactly they were trying to achieve by doing this, but they seemed to get awfully happy whenever the ball would swish into a tall ring. People here were so odd.

Yet John wasn't really watching those queer people. He was busy watching the green haired teen playing a game against a bunch of older kids. The boy dribbled the ball up and down with a bit of a smirk on his face. He then dashed at the left of the defense only to change direction at last minute to the right. The opposing team, caught of guard, helplessly ran after him only to see their efforts were in vain. The teen whooped as the ball fell through the hoop.

"We won!" Rowan yelled, cheering as his team mobbed him with claps on the back and fistbumps.

The older kids glared and walked away from the courts, muttering things about cheaters and other things sore losers rant about.

John observed the session of foreign congratulations. There was no doubt the boy had skill but that didn't excuse how OUTGOING he was. Outgoing to the point of being annoying.

He watched the victory fest for a moment more before arrogantly turning his head away.

Rowan

_Fwshk! _

The arrow landed perfectly in the eye of a dummy Rowan was practicing his skills on. Soon, after his perfect shot, he aimed for a loftier target, moving all the way back to the other side of the room, aiming for a mark on the ceiling he had made by throwing a permanent marker up at the ceiling. After adding a sticky unknown substance he had found to his arrow, he aimed, and fired at the mark, hitting the mark expertly. Running towards the wall to gather speed, he jumped, doing an overdramatized flip, grabbing onto the arrow on the wall and pulling it off.

He landed on his feet, walking calmly towards his bag in the corner, which contained various other items, most of them which were firmly branded into Rowan's mind. Taking out his knife, he twirled it in his hand, and released it, making the knife slice into the dummy's remaining eye. Rowan suddenly noticed light breathing, coming from the doorway of the room he specifically reserved for his training. He turned around, and was met with the sight of the black-haired boy from before. Rowan narrowed his eyes at the boy, wondering what he was doing in this room, after insulting him.

"Why are you here?" Rowan asked the boy.

"Am I not allowed to be?" The other boy seemed to challenge Rowan, something that didn't sit well with Rowan, since the other boy had given him a not-so pleasant introduction.

"Well, you did insult me before. Why should I be near a person who'd do that?" Rowan said, packing up his things and walking away from the boy.

The black haired boy huffed, which irked Rowan. "No reason at all. Although I would think someone of your ilk would be more tolerable."

He snorted at those words, not dignifying the other boy with a response, as he walked out of view.

John

A cacophony of smells floated through the air that would have made anyone tear at the eyes but somehow was pleasant. The source was buffet with over 500 dishes. However the room was crowded with all sorts of disgusting pigs- er, people.

The floor was almost concealed under a carpet of crumbs and all sorts of other scraps. For every crumb there was about five people making the room about a comfortable as a public restroom. A VERY public restroom.

Typically John would avoid this disgusting place like the plague but he had his reasons for being here. That reason being one of the many pigs in the room.

Once again John set his eyes on his week long query: the green haired teen that was currently gobbling down a chicken leg. Revolting. From the way he ate with his hands down to the grease spot on the left side of his upper lip(not that John was staring intently at his lips or anything).

John nibbled on his lotus biscuit thoughtfully. He wasn't even sure why he bothered to follow around the teen. Something to do? That must be it if he was even willing to follow him into the horrifying depths of the buffet.

He watched the teen utilize the use of his napkin. So he wasn't as piggish as he thought. Then again, even a pig knew basic hygiene.

John began to drum his fingers on the table of his booth. He quickly ducked as the other boy looked up in his direction.

Peeking back over the top of the booth, John saw the boy heading to a bathroom, his hands out in such a way that suggested a form of disgust. He chuckled as he saw the boy trying to handle the doorknob without using his greasy, slicked hands.

Once the door was opened, the green haired boy looked over his shoulder, sending John the cue that he had been detected. He fled further in the casino.

Rowan

Out of the corner of his eye, Rowan noticed the black-haired boy again. This was the fourth time this week! Deciding he had enough, Rowan stood up, careful to make it look like he hadn't noticed the boy. He headed close to the black-haired boy, hoping to track him. Suddenly he darted forward, grabbing onto the black-haired boy, slamming him onto the wall from the force of his lunge.

"Why are you following me? What's your name?" Rowan demanded.

"I'm not following you," the boy said, giving what sounded like a retort to Rowan. "And I don't have to tell you anything."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm faster, stronger, and a lot more paranoid then you are. You've been following me, and I don't appreciate that. That makes me nervous, and I don't like being followed, nor do I like being nervous." Rowan replied, narrowing his eyes at the noticeably good-looking teen, "Tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine. My name is Rowan. What's your name?"

The teen pushed Rowan's hands off his shoulders and ducked under his arms, before Rowan could react. "Don't touch me. And I'm not telling you you anything."

Rowan watched the boy leave, his thoughts running wild. His hair was shiny, his eyes were gorgeous, his body had felt nice against his own, and- Rowan stopped his brain from going further, clamping down on his raging libido. He'd eventually get the other boy's name. He'd make sure of it.

John

Once again, John was in his reclusive corner of the world. Or something close to it. His prior hangout still had that annoyingly broken window. Therefore he had to settle for a room remarkably similar but not quite the same. Such little differences irked and interested him at the same time.

Instead of passing the day with a hundred games of Pyramid, John had discovered a book of parlour tricks involving cards. Sure, he was quite horrible at it, but it was certainly more interesting than another dreaded patience game.

John stacked the deck just so, slipping a card up his sleeve as he did so. As he made a dramatic gesture, according to the instructions, the card flipped out his sleeve and clattered to the floor.

John grumbled angrily. It seemed he was fated to make every mistake possible before he would finally get the trick right.

As he bent over to retrieve his card, he heard the door to his sanctuary open and shut. Upon standing, John saw the green haired teen standing by the door.

"I've finally found you. It took forever, and you're pretty elusive, but I've found you," Rowan said. He seemed pretty satisfied with himself which made John moan internally. Just as he decided to ignore the teen he started following _him_!

"How about you go find some business that concerns you because none of the such is here," John huffed.

The boy seemed upset by this and replied with a glare. Upon receiving no reaction, he mosied over to the bookshelves, disappearing amongst the tall, wooden structures.

John breathed half a sigh of relief but still felt perturbed about that Rowan guy hanging around. No matter. He'd still be able to practice his parlour tricks. Wouldn't that be something his mother would enjoy.

He diligently started to horribly fumble cards again, cursing as he did but knowing he'd get it eventually. Maybe he could trick the other teen into thinking he was some sort of sorcerer. That'd sure send him running!

After a couple hours of many failures and few successes, John realized that the other boy had still not left the room. In fact, he hadn't even heard a single sound. Was Rowan trying to ambush him? John disregarded the idea and opted to look around. Maybe he died from his hair disease. That would be something.

He started walking the length of the room, peering down the aisle of bookshelves. As he was approaching the back of the room, he finally spotted Rowan. Not dead (unfortunately). Instead amongst teetering towers of books. John stood there for a moment, ogling at the sight. The other boy looked up and noticed him standing there.

"What do you want? I'm busy." Rowan said, "Tell me your name or I'm going back to my reading."

"Why do you want to know my name?" John asked.

"Because, I need to call you something other than black-haired boy. Before I start calling you John Doe." Rowan replied snarkily.

John stiffened, "Wh-what? What did you call me?"

"John Doe." Rowan replied, a little bit less snarkily.

"How did you know my name?" John asked, feeling perturbed, "Are you a mind reader?"

"No. I don't. Your name is John Doe?" Rowan replied with confusion. "That's what unknown people are called, who don't have names. "

"Oh,"Well, forget I said anything." John said, feeling slightly ashamed of having so quickly losing his facade. In efforts to cover up his slip he hastily said, "Well? What do you think you're doing?"

" I'm reading. What does it look like I'm doing?" Rowan answered, looking away from the book, giving John a questioning look.

"Trying to look somewhat intelligent," John snarkily replied. Since he had decided to finally give up his name, the least he could do is keep up his guard against any 'friendly' advances.

It was hard to tell what exactly Rowan wanted anyway. At first John just thought he was lonely, or at least the type that needed to constantly be around people but now he wasn't so sure. Rowan's pursuits in following him certainly shot down the theory. Maybe he wanted revenge? John could see that happening since he had a talent for ticking people off. Besides… that green haired guy was more than capable enough to take him if he so wanted to.

"Jerk," Rowan spat, now ignoring John in favour of his book.

He pursed his lips, feeling slightly miffed by the lack of response. What John wanted was to provoke him in some way. Not just a "jerk" as Rowan continued on his merry way.

"Che, do what you want," John huffed, "Just try not to burn any brain cells while you're trying to process those big words."

He turned away from the boy, pausing to see if he achieved a retaliation.

Rowan abruptly looked up his book, his eyes flashing with anger. John instinctively tensed only to see the emotion drain from his face. Instead he looked fairly calm and casually asked, "I wonder why you're so interested in me. You don't talk to anyone else, so why am I so special?"

"Wh-what?" John sputtered, "I'm not interested in you! You annoy me and invade my space. The only thing 'special' about you is your absurd green hair!"

"Oh really? Then why are you sputtering?" He questioned, a cocky smile on his face.

"Be-because," John stopped himself to calm his speech, "Because you annoy me!" John turned away once more as he felt a heat spread across his cheeks.

"Riiight," Rowan called back.

John spun around again to face Rowan, "There is no 'right', there's only the truth which is that you're annoyingly cheeky!"

"The truth is that you look great in those pants," Rowan said with a wink and smile.

"You-! Begone with you!" John ordered, his face flushed bright red.

Rowan got to his feet, smirking as he did. John shivered internally as he felt the other boy's eyes trace over his body. Rowan winked and left the room, leaving John with the trepidation that this would not be their last encounter.

Rowan

Rowan plopped all of the ingredients he scrounged around for on the table in his mini kitchen. He was lucky to have a room with an actual kitchen, which was a huge plus for him, since he loved to cook. He washed his hands, rolled up his sleeves, tied on an apron and started to work on his pastries.

Soon, Rowan began the comforting routine of mixing and adding ingredients, following the recipe from memory. Finally, his cookies were done. He ate a cookie, and plated the rest, leaving them to the side as he started on another pastry.

Rowan heard someone coming down the hallways. He stopped to listen, confused. No one ever came into this hall. His room was private, which had been a request the hotel had surprisingly given to him. It had never happened before. What was even weirder was the fact that the person was coming closer and closer to his room.

Rowan used a rolling pin, in his helpfully stocked kitchen, to roll out the dough for the pie he was going to make. He was concentrating so much he almost missed the person attempting to sneak up in him. He hid his smile, and pretended not to notice the intruder coming in to his room.

Rowan could almost sense the other person coming towards him. He believed the other person wouldn't hurt him.

"Where are you going? Have a bite to eat." Rowan said, looking up and spotting John. He ignored his pie for a moment, beckoning John closer to him. Rowan produced the warm plate of cookies, shoving them into John's hands. "For you."

"I-" Rowan could see John trying to process his gift. He was kind of declaring his thoughts to John, in the form of chocolate chip cookies.

John took a cookie from the plate and muttered a "thank you" as he bit into the soft cookie.

"Take them. They're all yours." Rowan gave a grin as he was actually using his cooking to feed someone else, and not just himself. Besides, this gave him an excuse to be near John, and secretly declare his intentions to John in the form of cookies.

John gave a huff, which Rowan thought was adorable."I'm not some pig that's going to eat a bunch of cookies in one sitting."

"You eat the cookies a little at a time. I just like making too much food. Do you want a taste of pie when it's done?" Rowan asked John, going back to making the pie.

"What kind of pie?" John asked in a not-so pleasant tone.

"Any kind you want. I have fresh, hand picked fruit and spices. I can make the perfect pie." Rowan said, not realizing he actually quoted a cookbook he had used early in his life.

John cocked his head and smirked, "How about a Boston Cream Pie?"

"Of course, sexy. Anything for you." Rowan said, switching out the ingredients to make the pie, chuckling at John. If he tried to out-flirt him, then he was out of luck because Rowan would take it as far as he could.

"Why must you insist on saying on these vulgar things?" John muttered, "It's completely inappropriate."

"You make it too easy." Rowan smirked. "But that implies that you do not believe you are sexy, which in fact, you are."

"J-just shut up and make your pie stupid," John said, sounding "annoyed." To Rowan, he just sounded flustered.

Rowan just smiled his cheeky smile, creating the cream, the chocolate sauce and the dough, soon assembling the pie into a perfect structure. Rowan put the pie in the oven, noted the time, and turned back to John. He walked closer to John, noting how he made the other boy nervous. He leaned his face close to John's and gave him a peck on the cheek, more than he'd ever dare to do normally. He held the kiss, testing the waters to see how long John could stand the kiss.

"Ding!" The timer on his oven went off. Rowan went back to his pie, ducking down under the table to check on the pie and hide his red cheeks.

John's mouth was hanging agape. Rowan could see he was trying to reboot himself. "What was that for?!"

"Because you're infuriatingly sexy." Rowan responded, composing himself and popping out from under the table. Maybe he had miscalculated and John wasn't bisexual.

"You say those things how do I even know you mean them? For all I know you could have some weird ulterior motive," John said. Rowan narrowed his eyes at him, becoming more and more insulted.

Rowan threw his hands in the air, becoming frustrated. How could he have ulterior motives? "Take the pie and go." Rowan said, shoving the pie into John's hands, pushing him out the door.

"No wait!" John yelled. Rowan's eyebrow raised in skeptic surprise as John actually turned around.

"What?" Rowan asked John, stepping away from him, not wanting him to interpret anything he did as being due to an _ulterior motive. _

"I'm sorry. I guess I've just been being a bit paranoid but I can't really help it. You're about the oddest person I've ever met." John seemed to actually mean what he said, making Rowan's prickliness subside.

"Well, I guess that changes things then." Rowan replied with a soft smile. His hair alone stood out to people.

"Now tell me. Do plan on making me fat?" John asked, gesturing to the plate of cookies and cake in his hands. At those words, Rowan started to chuckle, none too softly.

"That would be correct, if I gave you chocolate cake. The icing is actually half the calories and the icing is bittersweet. You eat a little a day then you come back for more!" Rowan replied.

"What are calories?" John looked confused when he mentioned the word, as if Rowan had said something in Greek.

"Calories is basic chemistry. It's the amount of energy it takes to raise water to 1 degree Celsius." Rowan explained. It was fun being a know-it all. Especially when he had to struggle with the subject on his own using a textbook from the library.

"Huh, I wonder why I've never heard of that before. Thanks for the cake," John said, popping a piece in his mouth, in what Rowan thought was a sexy manner.

"It's the 1980s. How have you not heard of this?" Rowan asked John, looking at him, confused.

"1980s? What are you talking about? It's only 1840….something…. Maybe it's 1850 now…" Rowan looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was a sociopath.

"No, it's definitely the 1980s. " Rowan looked around for something that would prove his point. "Aha! You've never seen this, have you!" Rowan said, dragging him into his room to show John the TV.

"I have," John said, "Around the saloon. I didn't know what they were so I didn't bother with them." Saloon? Obviously something must be up with this guy, who didn't seem to like showing emotions.

"Look at this." Rowan said, showing John how to work the television, turning it on for John to see, flipping through the channels, and setting it on an old movie.

"When was this invented?" Rowan almost laughed at John, and his complete immersion into the show.

"Around the 1920s." Rowan said, flipping through the channels until he settled upon I Love Lucy, secretly one of his favorite shows, even though it had ended years ago. "You've missed out, you… 130 year old man." Rowan said, quickly calculating his approximate age.

"Clearly," John looked enchantedly at the screen. He looked adorable, like a small child watching television.

"WAIT A GODDAMNED MINUTE. You're at least 100 years old. I'm talking to a sexy 130 year old man who shouldn't even be here!" Rowan said, starting to freak out. "How the hell can a hotel afford to keep people in here for free? Plus, they let me have free expensive ingredients! The finest flour, the freshest fruit and the best songs all the time!"

An employee of the Lotus Casino suddenly appeared next to the boys holding a tray. "Are you alright?"

"Urm, yeah, I'm fine," John answered, "I'm not too sure about him though. He thinks it's the 1980s." Rowan almost growled at him, wanting to tackle John and throttle him.

The employee nodded, "How about you have a lotus biscuit? It'll help soothe your nerves." Rowan didn't bother to clearly look in the other man's direction, though he usually paid better attention to the wait staff. This time, he was too angry and confused to do so.

"How are you going to explain away a freaking television? AND THE FACT THAT IT'S THE 1980'S!" Rowan asked, swiping a biscuit and chomping down angrily on it.

"I think I'm fine. I have all these cookies and things after all." Rowan glared at John, who seemed to be ignoring his COMPLETELY VALID POINT.

A change seemed to come over Rowan, transforming him in front of John's eyes. His anger left him, and he forgot just what he was angry about. "Hey, want to watch TV with me?" Rowan asked, as if nothing had happened, snagging a cookie and standing extremely close to John.

John moved away from Rowan and his almost dopey face "I daresay he's calmed down quite a bit. Thank you for your assistance." This should have alarmed Rowan, but he was chill, not worrying about anything at the moment.

The employee nodded and walked away, leaving John and Rowan the sole occupants of the hallway.

"Well, I guess it' wouldn't hurt to watch a little 'TV'. Just don't try anything," John warned. Rowan. Rowan merely gave him a smile, inviting him back to his room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Kat here! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I just wanted to say thinks to all the people who reviewed. It's much appreciated, and I love getting reader feedback. I use it to adapt the story to your liking. We're getting down to the good stuff now! No more explanation filler chapters!**

Chapter 3

Kat collapsed happily onto a couch, brushing her hair from her face and sinking into the plush cushions. After teaching the kids how to jump, she had moved on to a large variety of other physical activities, spending hours showing off her prowess. It felt good to be around normal people, being better than others. She was having the best time of her life.

Kat relaxed into her seat. She hadn't felt so happy and self-satisfied in a while. She looked around, her ADHD getting hold of her again. Jumping up, she strolled into a side room, searching around for anything and nothing. She grabbed a water bottle off of a table, drinking it down while walking around. When she finally stopped, she noticed that she had entered one of the back rooms. It was an old-fashioned library, with old, leather bound books covering the shelves and a safe, musty smell layering the air. Kat stepped inside, looking at the titles and trying to see if anything would be good to read. Maybe she could borrow it for a while and return it at a later date.

Kat paused as she noticed a boy sitting on one of the chairs. His light-green hair wasn't surprising, but his style of clothing reminded her of the stuff she saw in her history class, what people used to wear in the 80's. But he _was_ reading Dracula. That book was awesome.

"Hi! I just wanted to tell you that I approve your choice of literature. Dracula is awesome." Kat reached on the table and picked up one of the lotus flower cookies that were sitting on a tray. They were just so delicious!

"Dracula is pretty good. I like the whole vampire thing myself. The shape shifting is really appealing to me." He looked up at her, seemingly annoyed.

"Can I ask you something? Are you cosplaying? Because that outfit is seriously 1980's." The Aphrodite kids were really bad influences. She knew more stuff about fashion then she cared about.

"What's cosplaying? Also what are you talking about? It's 1985. My clothes are brand new. My brother Soren just brought them for me." Kat narrowed her eyes. What was this kid talking about? He must really be in character or something.

"Dude, it's 2014. Don't worry, you can break character for a little bit. I just wanted to know where you got it from because it looks really good. If your brother made it, tell him I want one custom made. The Aphrodite kids would love it."

"2014? Break character? What are you saying? These clothes are easy and cheap to get. My brother worked hard to get me a whole new wardrobe after a hellhound splattered blood on my favorite shirt." Kat blinked.

"Something like that would cost hundreds now. It's stitching is perfect! Also, you're a demigod? I didn't know there were demigods down here in Nevada. Chiron never told me. Are you on break from camp? Do you live down here?"

"Camp? No one ever told me about a camp. Isn't Chiron supposed to be with the gods? I don't live down here. I'm hunting a monster that killed my mother. My brother and I, we're both sons of Apollo. Also, it cost $5 for this shirt you know." Kat stared.

"Wait wait wait! Ok, $5 is not a lot of money! What the hell are you…" Kat racked her mind. It felt suddenly cloudy, and she found it hard to sift through her thoughts. He had said… he said something about it being 1985… and he was wearing really old clothing, and wasn't cosplaying… and… and….

Kat growled as she couldn't connect her thoughts. It felt as though something was blocking her mind, preventing her from thinking. Kat leaned forward, grabbing a lotus flower and popping it into her mouth. She turned to look at him, noticing him chewing on one as well. They stared at each other, just eating.

Kat shook her head. What was she thinking a second ago? "Want to play basketball with me? I saw you by the courts earlier and heard you were good." Kat paused before sticking out her hand. "I'm Kaitlyn Ardere. You can call me Kat."

"I'm Rowan Silver. I'm just called Rowan." Rowan looked up at her with a little smile. "It's nice to meet you." Kat grinned as they shook hands. At least during her visit she would make some friends.

Kat wandered into the food area, stomach rumbling. She had expended so much energy in such a short amount of time that she was craving sustenance. She opened the fridge, taking out the makings for a cold-cut sandwich, and placed them on the table. What fancy hotel had cold cuts in the fridge? She shrugged, figuring that it was for the kids to eat.

Kat headed for the cutlery, only to frown. A boy with shaggy black hair was glaring icily at a box he was holding in his hands. He turned it up and down, frowning at it, just staring and not opening it. Another turn proved it to be a box of Celeste frozen pizza. Kat shrugged. Everyone in this building was weird.

"Excuse me, I need to get to the drawer behind you." Kat was impatient to get back to her game.

"I'm a bit too preoccupied to complete that action…" He muttered. "Where on earth are the hinges for this thing?" Kat raised her eyebrows, watching him continue to examine the box.

"Seriously, you don't know how to open it? Here, just do this." She grabbed it from his hands and "skillfully" opened the flaps, letting the pizza slide out onto her hand. "Just in case you can't figure out the rest of it, here." She ripped open the package, grabbed a plate from the counter, and plopped the pizza onto it. "Now will you move?" Kat was trying really hard not to be sarcastic.

"I suppose it's the least I can do," Kat opened the drawer as he finally moved out of her way. She grabbed a spoon, closed the drawer, and turned to see him poking at the frozen pizza. Kat finished covering her sandwich in mayo, putting the last pieces of it together and lifting it off of the plate.

She looked around the room, holding the sandwich and searching for something to sacrifice the food to. There wasn't any open flame pit like at camp, and she knew that it would be weird to sacrifice over the stove or something. What could she use to "cook" her food for the Gods? Kat spotted a microwave out of the corner of her eye, and she felt a grin sneaking onto her face. Well, it made more sense then the electric stove, and it was less degrading than putting the food on the table or in the trash… Kat pulled a piece of the sandwich off, found a plate, and put it in the microwave for 20 minutes.

"Sorry Hermes, but this is kind of the best I can do for right now. Please accept this offering." Kat spoke to the ceiling before turning and noticing the kid still standing there with the pizza in his hand. "Are you still stuck on that? The instructions are on the back, didn't you read them? Its a freaking frozen pizza, stop acting like you've never seen one before."

"Because I haven't seen one before" He muttered. Kat stared at him for a moment, looking up from her "sacrifice". She was frozen with surprise, something niggling at the back of her head.

"Pizza has been around for a while. Dude, you would need to be from before the 1900's to not know what pizza is. How could you not know, it's practically the food of the Gods!" She watched as his frown grew.

"What is a _dude? _My name is John, not dude. What's with your clothes? Are you a witch?" Kat slowly finished biting into her food.

"What year were you born? If you don't mind me asking, but there is something…" Kat broke off, thinking back to an earlier circumstance. Something danced at the edge of her mind, a familiar situation like this one, where a conversation wasn't adding up.

"...1833… What are you trying to get at?" Kat's mind worked furiously, trying to process the hints. Many of the people she had met believed that they were from different time periods, dressed and acted like they lived in the past, and like right now, acted like they knew nothing of modern day appliances and culture! Her hand drifted towards a tray of lotus flowers as she thought.

"No! Kaitlyn, do not eat that flower." Kat, startled, knocked the tray off the counter and sent the flowers all over the floor. That voice sounded oddly familiar, like one from her dreams...

"What the hell was that?" She spoke out loud, ignoring John's cry of 'What was what?'

"Kaitlyn, you need to leave. We need you out here. It's not safe anymore." Kat paused.

"Who are you?" She asked. To her annoyance, she couldn't hear anything anymore. Angrily, she looked at the table and picked up her card, resting her hands on the table. That was when she really looked at the name on the card.

'Lotus Casino Greencard'. The Lotus Casino- lotus flowers- the lotus eaters! Weren't those the people that trapped their victims on an island with the taste of their flowers and nectar? Didn't Percy and Annabeth run into them in Nevada?

"Oh _shit._" Kat groaned.

John's face turned red for some unknown reason, "W-what's going on?"

Kat sent him a calculating look. "Are you a demigod?" She spoke bluntly, remembering that the kid she talked to earlier was a demigod. She figured that if she was needed, so was everyone else in the building, and if she was taken over so easily, then they must have been as well.

"Oh, not you too," he groaned. Kat rolled her eyes.

"They had demigods in 1830-whatever you're from. You must be one, you know about demigods." Kat grabbed his arm, pulling his pizza from his grasp and leading him from the area. "I know you don't think much time has passed, but this is the Lotus Casino; as in the Lotus eaters poisoned us and you've been in here for a century or two."

"That's impossible. You're mad just like my mother," he yelled, trying to pull away from Kat, "Why are you so strong?!"Kat stopped in her tracks, turning his body towards hers.

"This is serious, John. This might be a matter of life and death. I need you to tell me what your mother told you. All of it… well the abridged version. While we walk. I need to find Rowan." Kat pulled him along again, looking for the basketball courts.

"So you're insane like Rowan too! Why am I surrounded by crazy people?!" he yelled to no one in particular. Kat rolled her eyes, dragging him along.

"For the love of Zeus, PLEASE tell me who your father is. Who is it? Who did your mom marry? Which Greek God was it?" Kat was starting to get a little annoyed that he wasn't answering her questions.

"... Hephaestus," he said quietly, "She said Hephaestus." Kat, who at that point was trying to eavesdrop on other people's conversations to find other demigods, hadn't heard what he said.

"I'm sorry who did you say?" She said loudly, pulling him around a corner.

"I'm not saying it again!" he retorted, "It's foolish." Kat resisted the urge to slap some sense into him.

"I can prove to you that its true. Can you just tell me who it is?"

"Like I said it's Hephaestus! Are you satisfied now?" he fumed. Kat nodded at him before pausing, staring above his head. A large red anvil-and-tongs appeared over his head, glowing brightly for a brief moment before slowly fading to a light glow. Kat frowned. Usually the symbols were very bright for a long time after they appeared.

"What sorcery is this?" he started to back away slowly from Kat, still trying to pull himself free. Kat grabbed his other hand and pushed him gently until he was pinned on a wall, unable to escape her grasp.

"This is not… well I guess it might technically be magic…. Wait you sidetracked me! This is all real, I promise. What your mom said was true. It is real, you are a demigod, this casino drugs people and keeps them alive forever… just because apparently, I'm not sure why actually the Lotus eaters just do it…" Kat started rambling, trying to think of reasons why being a demigod was real.

"Yes, I know what this place is. My mother told me. I just thought she was being… mad," he admitted quietly, "What year is it?" Kat looked him in the eyes.

"It's 2014. You've been in here for a long time." Kat finally let him go, walking into the next room and heading straight for her backpack. "Now its time to get you out of here."

John hesitated to follow but eventually accompanied her, "I suppose I have." Kat rummaged through her bag before her hand closed on her knife. She had taken to carrying it everywhere with her, just in case. Apparently it might come in handy. She carefully held onto it.

"I'm going to need your help. Did anyone besides Rowan say that they were demigods? We need to get them out of here. Oh crap, a bellboy. Quick, grab a flower and pretend you are eating it." Kat reached over to the nearest tray and picked up a flower, using a well practiced move to break off a part of it with her hand and drop the excess.

"W-what?" John stuttered, trying to process just what exactly was happening. Kat rolled her eyes and simply pulled him along.

"This will take waaay too long to explain." She scanned the crowd, suddenly aware of a distant rumbling sound. Was the building shaking? Was there an earthquake? Poseidon must've been mad.

"Rowan!" Kat crowed, noticing the green haired hippie guzzling water and holding a basketball. "Rowan we need to talk to you. It's urgent, come now."

"It's you again!" Rowan took the hint from her and the rumbling. He grabbed his bow and slung the quiver full of arrows over his back before taking out an arrow to use like a dagger if needed.

"What's happening?"

"I think its an earthquake or something. I've never heard a noise like that. So mister 1980's, did you know that we are in the Lotus Casino? Yeah, it's 2014 and I'm busting you two out of here so we can find out who the hell wants my help." She paused, before backtracking. "Well it's a long story, but I'll explain on the way." She began picking her way through the crowd, maneuvering around gaming kids. She snorted at two kids making out in a corner.

"I wonder if they've been making out for a century. That'd be awkward." She commented, her ADHD taking its toll once again.

"It's disgraceful," John shuddered, "But why exactly are you so focused on getting out of here?"

"We need to leave first because if the Lotus Eaters find out that we are not under their spell, they will probably do something really bad to trap us here again, and then prevent us from remembering ever again. Second because according to the voice in my head, something is happening that I am needed for, and I figured you guys wouldn't want to stay while I bust myself out."

"You sound crazy." Rowan commented from behind her. Kat shrugged.

"You're still following, aren't you? Hush." She had just started working her way to the front of the lobby when a loud crash echoed from the building. Kat stopped, eyes darting everywhere.

"What the fuck was that?" Kat's body trembled as the whole building shook once more. People around them were actually looking up from their activities, and a few actually seemed alarmed. Kat's eyes traced a trail up one of the green walls, where a large crack was forming. Another crash had dust raining down from the ceiling, sheet-rock chunks breaking off of the walls to litter the floors and people's heads.

Kat turned to her companions. "I know I really need to explain things, but I think there is something really bad happening outside. I know its a lot coming from someone you just met, but we all have one thing in common- we are demigods. Now, can I ask you guys to trust me? At least until we get to safety."

"Eh, fine." Rowan shrugged.

"There isn't really a better option, is there?" John asked rhetorically. Kat smiled grimly at them both.

"Then I advise that you follow me and- OH SHIT DUCK!" Kat cursed loudly as suddenly a loud noise penetrated the air. Everything exploded in the air around them, chunks of plaster, wall, glass, and furniture flying around and covering everyone and everything. Kat grabbed onto Rowan and John and threw herself onto the ground, covering her head. She chanced a look up and had to shield her eyes, the bright daylight blinding her with a white glare.

All she could hear was roaring, destruction, and panicked screams of people being crushed by the building. Kat gasped loudly as something large and flat fell on her back, knocking the air from her body. All she could do was bear with it, coughing in dirt and dust and hoping for it to just end.

A few moments later led to complete and utter silence that juxtaposed the loud noise in a way that made Kat's head spin. Nervously she remained still, afraid of the silence and what might happen during it. She strained her ears after a moment, noting movement and rustling a few feet away, near where the lobby entrance used to be. A moment later she stilled completely, hearing stomps right next to her head.

She resisted the urge to move or make a sound as a loud sniffing noise came from above her. She felt the air shift on her back and felt her hair moving all around. She hoped that Rowan and John would not move at all.

"There's nothing moving, boss. Everything here smells dead." Kat winced as she heard a sharp, grating laugh permeate the air. Something large shifted a few feet away from her, shaking up more dust.

"Everyone move on. We destroyed the casino and everyone in it. That's one of the last public places that a demigod could have been. Now we move back to New York." More harsh laughter filled the air, and all she could hear for a few moments was the sound of stomping and moving. She didn't dare open an eye to take a peek, choosing to sit in silence. Was everyone really dead?

Kat waited for an immeasurable amount of time, straining to hear the steps disappear. When they were finally gone, she carefully pushed the sheet-rock off of her body and surveyed her immediate surroundings. She was sitting in a large pool of rubble, unidentifiable liquids and dust coating the area. Everything was red and white. Kat could see bodies covered in chunks of wall, and debris covered everything. A thick layer of dust coated the air.

Kat looked up, wondering how the hell people hadn't noticed the destruction. Even the Mist covering something like this up would be improbable. What she saw had her seize in shock.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3- Kat's POV

It was a wasteland.

Everything was completely destroyed. Trees were damaged, cars totaled, buildings obliterated; destruction left in a long trail by what Kat assumed to be countless numbers of monsters. Even right then she could see in the distance large hulking black forms grabbing things and throwing them around. She didn't want to think of what they were destroying.

Kat looked around her at the chaos, mouth dropping open. Was this happening everywhere? It felt like a bad zombie movie; any second there was going to be corpses reanimating, and she would have to hide in a breaking building only to fall to her doom or something. Kat shook her head, rubbing her eyes.

"Crap." Was the first words out of her mouth, followed by uncontrollable coughs. The dust had settled on her lips and up her nose, and she could barely breathe without choking. She just hoped the monsters wouldn't hear and come back.

Kat heard a rustling near her, and she dropped instinctively into a defensive crouch, looking for the source of the noise. What she found was John, trying desperately to push a large board off of his body.

"Stupid board," he grunted, looking around hastily at the distant monsters, "Get off!" Kat snickered.

"You seriously can't lift that? It looks like it's no more than 20 pounds." Kat giggled at his plight before sighing at him. "You look kind of pathetic. Here." Kat reached down and lifted the board off of him, careful to hold it up until he could scramble out from beneath it, then lower it to the ground without noise.

"Where is Rowan?" Kat looked around until she spotted the familiar green head of hair. His body was simply lying there, unmoving. The ground around him was crushed as if many monsters had walked very close to him. "Rowan. Get up." She didn't want to yell, but he wasn't moving. How could she wake him up?

_Slap! _The cracking sound rang. Kat gave John an angry look.

"What part of quiet don't you understand! Very effective though." She congratulated her fellow demigod as Rowan shot up, eyes wide and hand flying to his cheek. "Good morning sunshine! The Earth says hello! Today the forecast is cloudy with a high chance of death. Get moving before the monsters find us." Kat kept a smile on her face throughout her monologue. Inwardly she was freaking out. Should they look for more survivors or just save themselves?

Her choice was made for her a moment later. A loud roar sounded a few feet away from them. Kat turned slowly to see a wolf, snarling and staring her down, slowly stalking towards her and her friends. It snarled again when it realized that it had her attention.

"Is this a monster wolf?" Kat asked nervously, pulling her knife from her boot. "Can we actually kill it? Will it get angry?"

"I wouldn't really appreciate it if you killed him, so no that's not an option for you sweetheart." Kat whirled around, startled once again that she hadn't seen or heard this guy coming. He was, she had to admit, rather attractive with his short curly brown hair, light green eyes, and easygoing smile. As she stared at him, his eyes flashed gold, then faded to a sickly yellow color. He was dressed in a simple jeans and t-shirt combo, but he made it look good.

"Hi! How are you? Is he your.. friend? If so, I'd just like to ask if you could just not bother us, and we wont bother or kill you, and this can all go very smoothly! You could just... let us go?" Kat rambled, unnerved by the man. Who was he, what was he, and what was that wolf doing with him. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat noticed John slowly backing away.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. It's nothing personal, you know. God I sound like a walking cliche. Oh, and I'm being so rude! My name is Fengári. His name is Skylo. Skylo, say hi!" The wolf shot him a look before letting out a short bark. "So yeah, like I was saying, it really isn't anything personal. I'm under orders, blah blah blah…" Kat noticed his hand move down to his side and make a weird movement. It was her only warning sign.

"Run!" Kat yelled, scrambling away from the lunging wolf. She stumbled over a stray piece of metal before catching herself and running after John and Rowan. "Rowan, help John!" She said as she spotted Rowan attempting to shoot the wolf with his arrows. Something told her that that this wolf would not die that easily.

"You can run, but you can't hide. Oh, I'm saying cliches again. I need to stop, really." Kat was tempted to roll her eyes at his rambling but refrained in favor of dodging another strike from the wolf.

"There's a house over there!" Rowan yelled, taking long strides towards a building. John was panting and gasping beside him, having not exercised strenuously in the last century or two.

"Does it look safe?" Kat asked. Had they been able to look around at that moment, they would have seen the confused look

"I don't care," John panted, "I just can't run any longer!"

"Well it says 'Demigod Safe House' on it. I'm not really sure if that's a trick or not." Rowan said.

"Just head towards it anyway!" Kat risked a sideways jump that took her momentarily away from the jaws of the wolf. Why wasn't Fengari chasing them?

A moment later she felt something wash over her, as if she was running through a gloopy force field. It slowed her progress immensely, causing everything around her to move in a momentary slow-motion. Seconds later she heard what sounded like a pop, and everything around her sped up once more.

"What on earth?" John wondered aloud.

Kat chanced a glance behind her and actually stumbled in surprise. They weren't chasing after them at all. Instead they were prowling around a few feet away as if they were stuck at some sort of force field.

"Did we seriously just find a safe zone right at the most convenient moment? This is literally the biggest cliche! …..not that I'm complaining; this is really awesome for our lives." Kat continued to head to the house, now slowly walking to recover her strength. She was still close enough to hear the annoyed howls of Skylo.

"Get in that house. John, you need to sit down and rest. The second we find Camp Halfblood, I'm personally putting you through enough training to get you sprinting a mile in ten seconds flat." Kat stumbled up to the house after them, pushing her way through piles of debris and bodies. She did not want to know what had happened here.

"Uh, not to sound picky or anything but I'd rather not be around a bunch of corpses," John stated, eyeing the bodies warily. Kat shrugged though he could not see it.

"I honestly don't have the energy to care right now. Get in the house. I'm not carrying your dead weight around when you get tired."

"I think I'll try to manage then," he muttered. Kat grinned. He was so sarcastic! It was kismet!

Kat walked up the wood stairs, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous to be stepping into this unknown house. It reminded her of something from a horror movie- with its dank, dark brown wooden walls and fragile looking structure. It did fit the atmosphere, she supposed, thinking of the corpses littered everywhere.

What surprised her was the wall of warmth that she hit upon passing through the doorway. The inside of the house was much different than the outside; while the outside looked creepy and foreboding, the bright, warm reds, browns, and yellows of the inside made the place cheery. It was like stepping into your grandmother's house, with soft, plush furniture and little knickknacks and pictures everywhere.

What interested her most, however, was the amount of demigod supplies that covered every available surface of the room. Weapons of every variety were neatly stacked on tables, piles and piles of ambrosia-filled bags covered the floor, and she could see a brazier in the corner ignited with a little flame.

"Oh YES." Kat cheered. She dropped her stuff on the nearest couch (ignoring its extremely cheerful flowery design) and made a beeline for the loaded tables. "This is stuff that we all really need; money, nectar, clothing, blankets, ropes, weapons, everything! This is the best apocalypse safe-house ever!" She picked up her backpack from the couch and began stuffing everything she deemed necessary into its depths.

"You're not going to even question why this is all here?" John asked, incredulous, "For all you know there's some price to pay for it. Maybe that's why all those bodies were there. Kat stared incredulously at him.

"Those bodies are there because it's an apocalypse. Everyone is dead everywhere. This is a demigod safe house or something meant for demigods like us. Honestly, I would be more cautious in another situation, but, well…" Kat pointed to the coffee table in front of her stuff, where a piece of paper was taped to the surface.

"Welcome Demigods to your safe-house; The place in the world where your odds of dying go down by 15%! Remember to stick together, help each other out, and try to live!" Kat turned back around and popped a pretzel into her mouth. "You need to be more observant." She mumbled through food crumbs.

"I'll try my luck at being cautious," he murmured, staring at her pretzel. She rolled her eyes.

"You are going to need a crash course in the modern world and its conveniences. Thank God Rowan won't be so needy." Kat picked up a pre-packaged bag of basic demigod survival and sorted through it, adding certain items that she thought John might need.

"Ok! You need to come here and choose a weapon. I think a smaller melee would be best for someone like you… unless Rowan can train you with a bow. I'm ok with most weapons myself, but I'm a horrible teacher."

"Would you suggest anything in particular?" He asked, his eyes already glazed over from looking at the variety. Kat took in his shorter, lean stature and his skinny, rakish arms.

"Well nothing like a broadsword… Would you prefer to get up close with something like a dagger? You need a smaller, lighter weapon." Kat stopped in front of a rack of swords, admiring their crude but efficient shapes and forms. She turned to advise John something more, when she noticed that he was not moving.

He seemed transfixed by something buried in a pile of small daggers and knives. He reached forward, carefully shifting the sharp blades until he pulled out a bronze tinted gun with a vent ribbed barrel and polished wood handle.

"This is nice," he commented. Kat observed the way he handled the gun, turning it back and forth and grasping it with a grip that seemed familiar. Kat nodded in approval. She picked up the nearest dagger, one with a smaller handle and serpentine blade.

"Take this for close range. I'm not sure where you're going to find ammo, but good luck with that. Maybe Rowan could teach you. Where is Rowan anyway?" Kat looked around the room and finally spotted his form half-buried in a closet. All around him clothes were strewn carelessly, boxes and shirts flung everywhere.

"Rowan, make sure you look for something for John to wear. Male things are not my problem on this journey, just as woman things aren't yours." Kat's brow furrowed as he continued to dig through the closet. "What the hell are you looking for anyway?" Rowan seemed to almost disappear as he reached deeper into the closet.

"Yes! Got it!" He crowed, before appearing from the doorway with something bright red clutched in his hands. Kat snorted as he placed what she could now see was a red beanie on his head while looking extremely self-satisfied and smug. It clashed horribly with his green hair.

"Good for you, Rowan. Now help John quickly, and get over here so we can make a plan for once we get out of here." Kat spent the next hour exploring the house, gathering food, clothing, and possible weapons for their group. When the boys were finally done fooling around, she sat them both on a couch and looked them in the eye.

"I have a lot to explain to you about the past century or so. Yes Rowan, this is directed more to John than to you. Just shut up and listen anyway. So, in the late 1840's….."

It was a few hours later that she finally stopped speaking. On the floor beside them was twelve empty packages of chips and over twenty bottles of water. Most of that water ended up on Rowan as he made fun of her speech and inputs during the lesson.

"I'm not entirely sure what is happening right now, but whatever it is, we need to stick together. I'm pretty sure there aren't that many people left, and with our Demigod stench we'll stick out like beacons."

"Then what are we going to do? Do you have a plan?" John questioned. Kat shrugged.

"Do I ever have a viable plan? Well actually you wouldn't know since we only met like a day ago. But I honestly think our best bet is to find other demigods and/or work our way to Camp Half-Blood for some information. And of course, we should help whatever demigods we see. I'd also like to find my family, which shouldn't be too long of a pit stop. While we're still here, you know? We can try to find out what happened to yours as well."

"That sounds as good an idea as any," he shrugged.

"Ok." Rowan said. Kat clapped her hands and stood.

"Great. Now lets get out of here. The day is still young, and we have plenty of time to kill before nightfall!" She wrapped a light jacket around her waist and shrugged her backpack on. On her side her broadsword hung in its sheathe and on her right thigh she strapped her dagger. Countless knives of various sizes snuck their way onto her person and in her bag.

"I don't have enough space for the things I want to take!" Kat wailed in not-so-fake sorrow. She really wanted to make sure she had everything she needed, wanted, and might need in the near future.

She watched as John studied the gun in his hand before slipping it into the belt loop of his pants. He then hefted the backpack over his shoulders, buckling under its weight. Kat watched Rowan expertly sling his bow and quiver over his shoulder, strap on his sword, and slip a dagger into his boot.

"What the heck is in this thing?!" John hissed. Kat grinned.

"Your life. Don't lose that, we don't know where the next safe-house is." Kat checked the house one more time, sorry to see the comfortable place go. Everything out there was a miserable wasteland.

"Alright. Lets go!" Kat led the way out the door. She scanned their surroundings, ignoring the dead bodies that still littered the floor. The guy and his wolf seemed to have left. What was his name again?

"Yo." Rowan hissed and tapped her shoulder. Kat turned to see two figures standing over one of the corpses. Kat dropped down into a crouch, approaching them from behind. When she got close enough, she could hear their conversation.

"It is a nice day, isn't it. It's been pretty sunny all around, not too many clouds, and only one major explosion! That's tame compared to last week." The curly black haired man told his blonde friend cheerfully. Their bodies were obscured by long black cloaks, so she could only see their exposed heads.

"Last week was very horrible. Wasn't that the reason for all these bodies? You're welcome for the sun, by the way. I wasn't in the mood for clouds."

"You're never in the mood for clouds."

"Can you blame me? The sun is gorgeous! The moon is cool too, but you know how I prefer the day."

"The sun is great and all, but I'd be happy if they'd get here already."

"I'd be happy if you guys would put your hands up and turn around." Kat spoke sharply, sword leveled with the brown haired guy's neck. Beside her, Rowan had his crossbow trained on the other guy. John lingered behind them, fiddling idly with something shiny and metallic.

The two guys turned around slowly, hands in the air. What Kat saw, she did not expect.

They were humans, judging from the looks of them, (or perhaps humanoid, but who cared for specifics at that point?) equipped with two arms and two legs; something that made Kat happy. She wasn't in the mood for any more monsters. The exciting part was how they actually looked.

They were gorgeous; tall, broad shouldered, mildly muscled and very attractive. A god could have chiseled them from rock. On their waists she could see celestial bronze swords. The blonde had a bow on his back. The black haired one had familiar looking sandals on his feet, and were those snakes crawling around the hilt of his sword?.

"I do hope you aren't going to try to kill us." The black haired one told her cheekily. Kat blushed as she realized she had been staring at them for far too long. She lowered her sword from his neck, dropping it by her side but not putting it away.

"How the hell did I miss two attractive demigods like you two at camp? I wasn't gone for that long, was I?" The two of them shared an amused glance, grinning at each other and then at her.

"We don't go to Camp Half-Blood." The black haired one said. Kat put a hand on her hip.

"How did you survive without being at the camp? And for that matter, where did you get those weapons from? The safehouse?" The two of them shared another look.

"I don't think she's realized it yet."

"No, I don't believe she has."

"Should I tell her?"

"No, I'm enjoying this. Keep going at it, it's funny." Kat was going to say something to them until she felt Rowan nudge her. He was staring at the one with the bow with a wide eyed look. Bow-man noticed and waved, to Kat's amusement.

"What?" She asked Rowan when he nudged her again.

"Dad." He pointed at the blonde. Kat frowned. Dad? His dad was Apollo, not this random guy they found during the apocalypse… wait.

Wait.

She peered at Bow-man, taking in his features. _You're welcome for the sun, by the way. _He has a bow, and he's involved with the sun? No…

But then who was the other one?

She looked at her curly brunette, the one she had found oh-so attractive. Who would be hanging out with Apollo besides another God?

_The sandals. The sword has snakes on it._

Now that she looked closer, she could see the little wings fluttering by the back of his sandals, and the snakes were gently twisting around his sword. His cocky smile was erased when she looked back up, replaced instead with a warm, inviting, and slightly sheepish grin.

"Holy crap." She looked into his playful blue eyes with a gasp.


End file.
